By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team will wrap up its two-match homestand Thursday evening as the Golden Eagles will greet Saint Mary's in the club's first-ever clash with the Gaels. Kickoff from Tech Soccer Field is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
Admission is free of charge. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles (0-1-1) will enter Thursday's meeting fresh off their first point of 2024 after erasing a late deficit on the way to a 2-2 draw in Sunday's home opener against Miami (OH). Trailing 2-1 in the tilt's final 10 minutes, newcomer Cheyenne McCloud provided the purple and gold a fair share of theatrics behind an equalizing score in the 81st minute that saw the Saint Joseph's transfer scorch one between the pipes from well outside the box for her first career score.
McCloud's goal was Tech's third of the season after Neve Renwick picked up the squad's first two net-finders which led the sophomore forward to her first career Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor Tuesday afternoon. Renwick, who scored in the 59th minute of the season opener at Samford on Aug. 18 to go along with her 14th-minute goal in the home opener with the RedHawks, is the only player in the conference to find the back of the net twice so far this season. The Sheffield, England native is also the league leader in shots with eight and attempts on-goal with four.
The Golden Eagles have assisted on two of their three goals this season. Abigail Davis picked up her first-career assist on Renwick's score in the opener at Samford before goalkeeper Maggie Conrad collected her first-career helper on Renwick's goal in the first half against Miami.
Defensively, Conrad has yielded five goals over the first two matches to go along with 10 saves.
Davis and McCloud are the two Golden Eagle field players to appear in all 180 minutes in the first pair of affairs. Meredith Nye has tallied 176 minutes of action, while Katie Toney has appeared in 162 minutes on the pitch.
A look at Saint Mary's
The Gaels (0-1-1), out of Moraga, Calif., leave the Golden State for the first time this season thanks to a Tennessee two step that will see them come to Cookeville on Thursday before squaring off at Vanderbilt on Sunday. After falling 3-0 in the season opener to UC Irvine, Saint Mary's managed to pick up a point behind a scoreless draw at San Jose State in the squad's first road match of the year on Sunday.
After surrendering three goals in the season opener against the Anteaters, sophomore keeper Kate Plachy bounced back with her first-career clean sheet behind a pair of stops in the scoreless deadlock with the Spartans.
Saint Mary's has yet to split the pipes in 2024. The squad has taken 20 shots, with four on-goal, so far this year. Tessa Salvestrin has attempted a team-best eight of the club's 20 tries.
After a 10-5-3 overall record in 2023 for the program's second double-digit win campaign in the last four seasons (2021), Saint Mary's was picked to finish tied with Gonzaga for fifth place in the 2024 WCC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll. Junior forward Briana Salvetti was the only Gael to take home preseason all-conference accolades.
Inside the series
Thursday's get-together between the Gaels and Golden Eagles will mark the first-ever meeting in the all-time series.
Photo by Jim Dillon
